Articles used near a body of water sometimes are dropped inadvertently into the body of water. If the article weighs more than the water that it displaces, it sinks. Articles intended to be used in a body of water also sometimes are submerged inadvertently.
Once an article is submerged, the article may be difficult to locate because of the depth and opacity of the body of water and because of the tendency of currents in a body of water to move the article from the location where it was submerged initially. In addition to characteristics of a body of water that may make the inadvertently submerged article difficult to locate, the body of water may have characteristics that make searching for the article difficult or even dangerous. For example, the depth of the body of water may prevent the searcher from spending a sufficient period of time on the floor of the body of water to locate the article; the temperature of the body of water may prevent the searcher from entering the body of water at all or, at least, decrease the amount of time that the searcher can remain in the body of water conducting a search; rapid currents and objects, including animals, may make entering the body of water to conduct a search dangerous.
Current devices and methods for addressing the issue of inadvertently submerged articles focus on preventing the article from ever being submerged or from being submerged very far. For example, a small article, such as a boat key, may be attached to a small flotation device that prevents the key from sinking any further than permitted by the attachment mechanism. A larger article, such as a digital camera, may be placed in a protective casing that enables the article to be used near water and permits the encased article to float. Other large articles may be kept in a protective case that floats but prevents usage of the article while it is stored in the case. Finally, the article itself, regardless of size, may be designed to float during use, i.e., watercraft or vessels or parts thereof.
A problem presented to the designer is the recovery of those articles that are inadvertently submerged because their size or mass precludes attachment of a reasonably sized flotation device or encasement. Another problem presented to the designer is providing a way to recover those articles that does not interfere with articles' normal use.